Argos used item

ImThatGuy

Need some help on where I stand and if I have the right to take it further.

 Due to work my hair has to be neat and tidy and short. Brought hair and body trimmer from Argos to do the job. Decided to check it in the car just to make sure all the bits where there and save a 40 mile round trip if they weren't. Box looked brand new and sealed but upon opening it was clear it had been opened before. Not an issue, get they sell returned items. It was only when inspecting the actual trimmer I noticed it was filled with light grey hair. 

I've returned the item and tried to lodge a complaint, but the two girls behind the till chinned me off and told me to email Argos. I'm currently waiting for a call from a manager to discuss the issue. My question is though, is it worth taking it further and reporting to trading standards and maybe squeezing a good will gesture out of them?

As it's an all over body trimmer I can't say for certain if the hair was from above or below the belt. And with the current situation god knows what else. Not normally one for complaining but this one pushed me over the edge this time. 

custardy

So far you have spoken to the 'girls',waiting to speak to a manger,want to take it to trading standards and want a goodwill gesture.
Lockdown fever...

ImThatGuy

custardy said:

So far you have spoken to the 'girls',waiting to speak to a manger,want to take it to trading standards and want a goodwill gesture.
Lockdown fever...

Wouldn't call it lockdown fever, call it more disgusted I have someone else's hair from an unknown part of their body inside my car and over me. 

cymruchris

Where do you stand? Maybe in the car park with a big sign saying 'Don't shop at Argos'? Has it now been replaced? Are you in possession of a working, brand new item? It was good that you checked when you were just outside, and so you have saved yourself the hassle of the return drive, but what losses have you actually incurred? Aside from wandering back into the shop and getting brushed off by the two girls? You might want to put a written complaint on record, just so that they can add it to the pile of 'Things we need to improve on as we get through this global crisis' - They've clearly made an error, you can most certainly put in a complaint, but I don't expect you'll be receiving any goodwill gesture under the current pandemic conditions. 

powerful_Rogue

Clearly someones purchased it, used it and managed to re-use the seal so it looked unopened and unused. They have then taken it back to Argos for a refund or similar. I very much doubt someone in the storeroom wanted to give their grey & curlies a trim before they finished their shift. Would you prefer it if Argos removed their instore returns policy?

Of course you have the right to take it further, depends how much further you want to go. Newspaper, Local MP....... whether anyone will listen, I think thats a positive no.

The question is, what do you want to achieve? I'm guessing £££?

ImThatGuy

powerful_Rogue said:

Clearly someones purchased it, used it and managed to re-use the seal so it looked unopened and unused. They have then taken it back to Argos for a refund or similar. I very much doubt someone in the storeroom wanted to give their grey & curlies a trim before they finished their shift. Would you prefer it if Argos removed their instore returns policy?

Of course you have the right to take it further, depends how much further you want to go. Newspaper, Local MP....... whether anyone will listen, I think thats a positive no.

The question is, what do you want to achieve? I'm guessing £££?

Not looking for them to remove their in store returns policy, as I have used it before for wrong items and it's a good system. I'm hoping management listen and would only keep it internal. No one outside Argos would be bothered by a used dirty trimmer sold as new. 

Although £££ is always a good outcome it more boils down to people not doing their job or there being a hole in Argos's return procedure after it's handed over. It's a hygienic issue and under the current climate could be deadly at the very bad end of the spectrum. That's why I think lodging a complaint with trading standards is a good call but is it really worth the time and effort? And would anything come of it? 

KatrinaWaves

ImThatGuy said:

powerful_Rogue said:

Clearly someones purchased it, used it and managed to re-use the seal so it looked unopened and unused. They have then taken it back to Argos for a refund or similar. I very much doubt someone in the storeroom wanted to give their grey & curlies a trim before they finished their shift. Would you prefer it if Argos removed their instore returns policy?

Of course you have the right to take it further, depends how much further you want to go. Newspaper, Local MP....... whether anyone will listen, I think thats a positive no.

The question is, what do you want to achieve? I'm guessing £££?

Not looking for them to remove their in store returns policy, as I have used it before for wrong items and it's a good system. I'm hoping management listen and would only keep it internal. No one outside Argos would be bothered by a used dirty trimmer sold as new. 

Although £££ is always a good outcome it more boils down to people not doing their job or there being a hole in Argos's return procedure after it's handed over. It's a hygienic issue and under the current climate could be deadly at the very bad end of the spectrum. That's why I think lodging a complaint with trading standards is a good call but is it really worth the time and effort? And would anything come of it? 

If you are coming from the point of view that these hair trimmings could have killed you, I don’t think anyone is going to be able to help you. 

Trading standards isn’t gonna get you any money. 

ImThatGuy

KatrinaWaves said:

If you are coming from the point of view that these hair trimmings could have killed you, I don’t think anyone is going to be able to help you. 

Trading standards isn’t gonna get you any money. 

Not saying they would of killed me personally. But they're obviously not cleaning/sanitizing returned products as this issue would have been picked up. 

Not looking at trading standards getting me money. It's more having Argos fix a flawed system that allows this type of thing to happen.  

eddddy

ImThatGuy said:

It's more having Argos fix a flawed system that allows this type of thing to happen.  

I suspect it's not the system that's flawed, it's just that the staff in that store couldn't be bothered to follow the system and check returned products properly.

Was the seal some little transparent circular sticky pads? I think Argos staff stick those on product boxes, and put new ones on before re-selling a returned product.

I suspect that Argos head office and the Argos store manager get weekly charts showing number of email complaints etc - and it's a 'black mark' if the number gets too high. So emailing a complaint might result in the staff in that store getting "words of advice" or similar.

powerful_Rogue

ImThatGuy said:

KatrinaWaves said:

If you are coming from the point of view that these hair trimmings could have killed you, I don’t think anyone is going to be able to help you. 

Trading standards isn’t gonna get you any money. 

Not saying they would of killed me personally. But they're obviously not cleaning/sanitizing returned products as this issue would have been picked up. 

Not looking at trading standards getting me money. It's more having Argos fix a flawed system that allows this type of thing to happen.  

Did you not read the possible scenerio of how this may have occured that I posted above? If someone has used and returned the item, but managed to repackage it so the seal was still in place, why would Argos need to clean and sanitize the item? Not that a used item can be returned anyway under their instore returns policy.

The system isn't flawed, it's just abused by some people.

452

ImThatGuy said:

KatrinaWaves said:

If you are coming from the point of view that these hair trimmings could have killed you, I don’t think anyone is going to be able to help you. 

Trading standards isn’t gonna get you any money. 

Not saying they would of killed me personally. But they're obviously not cleaning/sanitizing returned products as this issue would have been picked up. 

Not looking at trading standards getting me money. It's more having Argos fix a flawed system that allows this type of thing to happen.  

They could have been returned before all this nonsense and it you've had a professional haircut at any point in your life I guarantee you the clippers were used on many a head before yours.